Adam Ball Is Creating a Mural Out of One Lucky Winner's DNA for MTV's RE:DEFINE Auction

British artistAdam Ball was invited to contribute a mural to the annual Goss-Michael Foundation’s MTV RE:DEFINE auction, which benefits MTV’s Staying Alive Foundation and Dallas Contemporary. As part of his contribution to the project, the artist agreed to auction off a special prize to the highest bidder: a personalized artwork, the subject of which will be the winner’s DNA. The anonymous lucky collector has provided Ball with a sample of DNA that the artist has photographed and will use as inspiration for a large-scale mural. It’s like commissioning a portrait for the modern era.

“Artistically speaking there is an established idea of what a portrait should be, whereas in this work I hope to reflect the very blueprint of the individual, working form the inside out,” the artist said.